Necessary Mistake
by mayly5000
Summary: Raph finally has the guts to ask Master Spliter for some love advise but that turns out horibly wrong and now its up to to his brothers to help him confess to his secret crush. Leo/Raph, a little Don/Mike and as Raph would say: dun like? then get lost!
1. Chapter 1

Ya know tha drill it's a Leo/Raph story so dun like dun read and NO flamers! It's my first story about them two.

Oh and the chars aint mine but we all knew that T.T

_**Necessary mistake**_

_(Raph)_

Ok. I have don a lot of stupid shit in ma life, usually cuz I defy orders an let ma 'temper' get tha better o me, say things I dun mean, aaaaan so on!

But this time it was supposed ta be a good decision! I mean wasn't it natural to ask for help when ya have a problem? Ya know confide in someone an stuff…

I mean I was only askin Sensei for som advice cuz I've been livin with this _'feelin'_ and it's only been gettin worse specially tha last few days an I just can't take it anymore! I needed ta get this off ma chest! Ta get some advice, some pointers as ta what Imma supposed to _do!_ And I knew there were a lot of reactions I coulda expect from this kind a confession, but… ta think my own fatha would go this far… did not even enter ma mind… an when it did, it had already been too late.

_(Leo)_

Today has been a fairly normal day, well as far as you can consider us normal.

We had our morning training, cleaned up, ate breakfast, goofed around and had gone on our nightly patrol. So with nothing left to do we just went about what was left of our day doing whatever we felt like doing.

For me that meant siting under the tree in our dojo Meditating and rethinking what happened on our patrol today. Raph has been acting very odd lately, even more than usual I mean. He has been spacing off more than Mikey does, he even tripped on his own two feet! Twice! He even managed to walk straight into an antenna while we were running arcos the rooftops. Talk about being clumsy! That's, well, Aprils job!

"I've got ya now Donny! Hiya!" Oh that's right Mike and Don were sparring in here, well I would not really call it sparring when they're make the loser do the others chore for what? One day? I think Mikey just wants to get out of dojo cleaning tomorrow.

"I don't think you will Mikey, I am pretty sure you will be the one to do my chore tomorrow!"

Really? I don't think Don realises he only has kitchen clean-up, and believe me that's a lot less work then dojo cleaning, especially considering Mikey thinks that wasting food is a sin, or something like that.

My eyes snap open as I move my head to the side as Don's bow flies closely past my cheek, hitting the tree behind me and clatter to the floor against my knee. All three of us blinked both eyes on me as I looked at the bow and back at them. I didn't even get the chance to open my mouth as-

"Woah, Don you nearly killed him!" And before I knew what was happening Mikey had my head cradled in his arms, rubbing a hand against my cheek as if I were dying.

"Did not! A bow can't do that kind of damage Mikey, it's a blunt object! Besides there was not enough force to do any real damage." Don sighed, clearly irritated before looking at me and rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

He mumbled a quick _'sorry! His fault' _ While pointing at the orange turtle in question who had already jumped up and over to Don, pointing a finger at his face, pouting.

"Yeah it can! Your bow totally has a knife thingy in there!" The youngest blinked and looked over the bow that had yet to be picked up, looking at it thoughtfully before turning back to the purple banded genius. He blinked again, frowning. "...right?!"

Don looked surprised for a second before slamming his hand against his own forehead in clear amazement at Mikey's stupidity. My eye twitched for a second, I mean seriously?! They almost managed to hit me while I was meditating!

My hand fell from its place on my knee as I reached down to grab Don's forgotten bow.

"A knife thingy? Really Mikey? It's a-"

_**TWAK! **_

I didn't move from my spot, hadn't even gotten up as I threw Don's bow across the room, managing to hit the both of them across the cheek nearly knocking them both over as the bow helplessly fell back onto the floor.

Frozen shock and their eyes a big as dinner plate, they slowly looked down at the bow clattering against the floor blinking owlishly.

"Looks like your right Donny, it really didn't do much damage I should have used more force." I shrugged my shoulders and smirked as the two of them finally realised what just happened.

"LEO!" I only had a second to jump up and into the tree as my brothers ran up to tackle me, only to end up slamming face first into the tree I had been sitting before.

I couldn't help but laugh as they rubbed there now sore foreheads. Mikey giggled before laughing as well, Don following soon after.

Jumping down from my perch when the laughter started to die down, I offered to help my brothers back up and earned a light punch to the shoulder from a still giggling Mikey.

Too bad Raph missed this; he would have loved to have seen that.

It was then that we heard it. The sound of someone getting hit_,_ the sound of something breaking and the sound of something hitting the ground with a loud smack, but then-

"You are a **Disgrace** to this family Raphael!"

The sound of our Sensei's voice had all three of us out in the living room in a matter of seconds, only to see our brother Raph on the floor, a few feet away from our sensei looking up at him in complete terror.

Splinter was looking down at him with Rage and disgust, but why? What was going on here?

The Shoij that had once blocked sensei's room from sight, now had a large hole through it, bits and pieces littered the floor making it very clear that something or someone has been thrown through it. I heard my brothers gasp as they no doubt came to the same conclusion.

Looking back towards my brother I could see a large bruise forming on his cheek as well as his hand laying over his stomach protectively. That must have been one hell of a punch if it managed to throw him that farm from the room. He was shaking and using his free arm to somehow keep himself upright enough to look at Master Splinter.

Sensei has never looked as frightening as he did now. His breathing was forced coming out in harsh exhales, his shoulders shaking in repressed anger, hands balled so tightly the knuckles had probably turned white, but what was worse was the look he was still giving Raph. Such anger!

It didn't make any sense! What could Raph have done to earn such anger?!

"You have been nothing but trouble for years now and we have forgiven you too many times! This disgusting secret you have bestowed upon me is where I will draw the line once and for all!" There was no mercy as he lifted his arm and pointed to the entrance of the lair. "Raphael, I will give you no more than 10 minutes to collect your belongings and leave this family, before I will throw you out myself!"

The turtle in question stared at him In horror as realisation sunk in like a bucket of ice cold water and he scrambled to his feet before making a run for his room. I could hear my brothers gasp in shock and no doubt look at sensei as if he has lost his mind. I decided to make our presence known and stepped forward.

"What the hell is going on here?!" My voice was harsh as Sensei's attention turned towards me, obviously shocked at my outburst.

"Do not interfere Leonardo. This is not your battle." His words were meant to be final, but I was having none of it.

"It is when one of my brothers in involved!" That was all I got to say as Mikey jumped in.

"Yeah! we deserve to know what you meant by 'throw him out'!" Mikey was doing everything he could to keep himself together, but his fears were getting the better of him. Donnie placed a hand on his shoulder as a sign of comfort but Mikey did not seem to notice it.

"It means, Michelangelo, that your brother has been disowned and banished from this family" Our eyes widened at his blunt statement.

"WHAT?!" We had all but screamed at the same time. Sensei did not seem to care as he looked over at the clock.

"You can't just do that! He is our Brother!" I have never seen Donnie lose his cool as badly as he did when he just screamed that. He looked as if Sensei lost his mind, but then again I think we all did.

Splinter looked over at us glaring sternly at Don.

"I am the head of this clan Donatello. My orders are not to be doubted." His glare did not waver even as Don flinched and took a step back.

"That still doesn't give you the authority to kick him out like this!" Sensei's glare did not affect me the

Same way as my brothers, I was practically immune to them now.

"What could he have done to deserve this anyway?!" Tears were now streaming down my Baby brothers cheeks as he shook slightly.

"Mikey is right. If you are really going to make him leave then we have the right to know why!" Don, in a moment of toughness stepped in front of Mikey pointing at sensei accusingly.

"your brother has asked me for guidance and permission to court another male! A sin that cannot be excused." My eyes widened and I am pretty sure we all looked towards Raph's room in surprise, before realisation dawned on me.

"Are you KIDDING me?! You are kicking Raph out because he's gay? That's ridiculous!"

"So uncool Dude." I was shocked to say the least; I had no idea what I was supposed to do here!

"you cannot punish him for falling in love! Did you not once tell us that love is a blessing?" Good thing Don knows how to back me up!

"Or that it happens in mysterious ways, or something?" And Mikey too, of course.

"Yes I have, however that does not stop the fact that homosexuality is very wrong!" I couldn't believe it! Our family was going to be pulled apart because of this? Alright that does it! I stepped up and stood in front of Splinter, my Fearless leader mask firmly in place as I took a deep breath.

"It isn't wrong at all! We live in secret Sensei and we do not know many people, so finding someone; anyone; to love is hard. So punishing someone when they do find someone is just plain wrong."

Sensei looked at me as if I had grown a second head, but didn't have to chance to lecture me as Raph ran back into the living room, a bag in tow, and ran towards the exit without as much as looking up. He looked really frightened and I don't blame him, but I _had_ to stop him before he reached the exit!

"Raphael! Don't you dare leave this room! You are not going anywhere you hear me!" That stopped him in his tracks, looking up at me in surprise. His beak opened and closed like goldfish as he tried to pull himself together so he could give me some sort of response.

"I-I Can't Leo, I'm sorry, but I…" It pained me to hear the desperation is his voice, the look of anguish on his face and the glimmer in his eyes told me that the thought of leaving us behind was breaking him.

I could NEVER let Splinter kick him out, he is part of this family, of our team and no matter what anyone thinks about him, WE NEED HIM, _ I _need him!

He didn't listen though. This whole thing has placed him in panic mode and his instincts told him that the only way to escape this situation was to follow Father's order. So with a pained expression, he turned and bolted to the door.

"Mikey!" I called out to the youngest and did not need to say another word as he ran forward and grabbed his Kusarigama, using its chain to capture Raph and keep him from running off. Though it successfully kept Raph within the lair it did nothing help his panicked mind.

"I told you not to interfere Leonardo, do not make this any harder than it had to be." The rat turned away from me as he set his attention on my red banded brother who was currently fighting against the tightly wrapped chains.

I don't know what he was planning but I had to stop it before there was any more damage to my brother's mental state and stepped back in front of him to block him from moving any further.

"He is not leaving splinter! Raph is staying right here where he belongs. He is our brother and we love him." He looked shocked at my actions and I could feel both Don and Mikey step up behind me as to prove my point. It was silent for a minute as the old rat's thought ran though his mind and I could vaguely hear Raph's stop struggling against the chains.

The silence however was broken as Splinter once again spoke up. "You will not feel that way once you know who it is that _Disgrace_ is crushing on! Falling in love with a male is one thing, but to-"

Disgrace?!

Okay, that's where my resolve snapped!

"STOP IT! You do not have the RIGHT to call him out for something as stupid at this, let alone to spill whoever it is that he has fallen in love with and to call him a disgrace on top of that?! Raph is by no means a disgrace! The fact that he would even _ask _ anyone for help; on_ his own_; shows that he truly cares for the guy." I was aware of the fact that I was really yelling, but you know me being overprotective and all. "And if anyone is going to tell us who he is, it'll be Raphael himself when he is good and ready to do so!" It felt as if a bomb would explode any second now, but I had to stand my ground before it could get even more out of hand.

"How dare you defy your SENSEI! I should-" I wasn't going to let him finish. I didn't even care about anything he had to say. I just needed this to end, NOW!

"You are not our sensei anymore, _Splinter_. A true sensei does not disrespect his students like this, nor would he care whether his students are gay or not. So unless Raphael is planning on confessing his undying love to the Shredder, I'd have to say that it is not any of our concern what he does with his personal life!" The venom in my voice kept Splinter from replying and I turned my back to him as I looked towards my brothers.

Both Don and Mike were in defence mode, steeled emotions graced their expression as they guarded Raphael in case Splinter would start lashing out. Their eyes landed on me awaiting instructions, but I paused as green eyes locked onto mine.

Raph's expression wasn't as frightened as before, he had calmed down a bit throughout the whole ordeal and it showed as a flash of relief and hope showed within the guys tear streaked eyes. I gave him a small reassuring smile as I turned my attention back to my two other brothers, still awaiting my next orders.

"Donatello, get Raph to the kitchen and help him calm down. Michelangelo please put his belongings back where they belong and join them in the kitchen after you're done." The both of them nodded and Mikey grabbed the bag Raph had been carrying before running off to his destination while Don took a couple of steps backwards until he reached his brother and removed him from the chains, eyes never leaving Splinters.

"They will do no such thing!" He was yelling in a final attempt to regain control of the situation, anger flashing once more as he moved forward. "Your 10 minutes are long since over Raphael, leave at once!" His outburst caused both Don and Raph to freeze up. This wasn't good!

"Donny!" It was pure luck when Don jumped back into action at the mention of his name and pulled Raph toward the kitchen as fast as he could.

The old rat cried out, but before he had the chance to move I had already thrown one of my katana at his feet. He stopped in his tracks and looked at me in complete shock, and... to be honest… I had shocked myself! I mean… did I just throw my KATANA?! OMG!

"I cannot believe my greatest student has defied my orders, Leonardo-"

"But I can." I turned my head away from him. I just couldn't stand to look at him anymore, it was too much. "You were a great sensei, Splinter. However my brother's wellbeing will always stand before your orders." I closed my eyes and awaited his response, one I knew was coming.

"You have disappointed me greatly my son." For some reason hearing him call me his son angered me… as if he was trying to regain my loyalty or something.

"Do not call me your son!" I showed no emotions as I looked him straight in the eye and drew my second katana from its sheath. "If you can't accept us for whom we are, then it should be you that has to leave"

And that was it; just like that Splinter stepped back and walked towards the exit, not even looking over his shoulder as he addressed me.

"As you wish Leonardo. However, do not forget that you will now all pay for Raphael's sin." I watched him walk away and I was left standing there, horrified as our sensei, Our FATHER walked away as if he didn't even care about leaving us behind.

It took me a few minutes to regain myself and turn around to make my way towards the kitchen as I muttered the one response I had failed to give before Splinter left.

"Love is not and will never be a sin."


	2. Chapter 2

Ya know tha drill it's a Leo/Raph story so dun like dun read and NO flamers! It's my first story about them two oh and don't forget there is don/mike!

The chars aint mine but we all knew that T.T so unless someone gives me a genie you'll have to settle for this.

_**Necessary mistake ch2.**_

(Raph)

So Don had dragged me into tha kitchen like Leo ordered him ta do an was I glad to get outta there! I feel bad for leaving em there ta face tha rat alone, but I wouldn't be much help at tha moment an if anyone was able ta handle things like this it's him. Let's just hope Splinter isn't gonna attack em!

Nah who am I kidding?! Splinter wouldn't hurt his best pupil… right?

I slumped forward in ma chair at the kitchen table, one hand droppin onta it an ma other hand was kinda blockin half of ma vision cuz I'm usin it ta kinda keep ma head upright.

I feel so weird! I'm still shakin an I feel a little lightheaded, not ta forget tha painful ache from tha hit ta my stomach an ma cheek. I can feel a headache comin from tha 'stress overload' or whateva Don had called it.

I gladly took tha icepack Don handed ta me an hissed when I pressed it against ma cheek with a little too much force. He set a glass a water on tha table for me, tellin me somethin that sounded like 'drink it, It'll help' but it fell on deaf ears an I absently tapped it with ma finger without really movin ma hand. Wasn't gonna drink somethin when I was sure It was comin out tha same way soon after.

Tha purple banded genius dropped himself on tha chair across a me an buried his head in his arms with a pained groan. I feel so guilty now, I was only askin for some advice, not some kind o' war! I neva knew master Splinter could glare like that!

I do think Leo is right ya know, it's such a stupid thing ta get so pissed about. Course there was a chance of em kickin me out but he coulda just said so, he didn't have ta literally KICK me!

I was already pissed off at maself for havin these fucked up feelin's! I didn't need em ta remind me bout it an in front of ma brothers no less! But, they reacted a lot better than I thought they would. Kinda thought they would be disgusted too, but they ended up protectin me.

Dun get me wrong! I'm glad they did or I woulda been runnin around NY lookin for some kind of shelter. Just didn't expect Leo ta stand up tha way he did, he totally defied tha old man! Dunno 'bout you but that's a shocker ta me! Course Don an Mike did the same in some way, but still! Leo was fearless alright!

"I…" Tha small voice made me blink. When did Mikey get ere? Damn, he's usually so easy ta hear comin. Guess tha situation's gotten ta him just as bad.

I looked up ta see him sitting on tha chair next ta Don who was now sittin somewhat upright. Tha kid looked really upset and ya could see he had been cryin too. He shook his head an tried ta gather his thoughts.

"I just…can't believe it." Don an me both nodded, we couldn't help but agree with that. This was all pretty unbelievable an I wanted ta tell em I was sorry, but for some reason I didn't have tha strength ta do so.

"I don't think anyone can Mikey." The genius had lifted his arm an dropped his hand on Mikey's shoulder, squeezing tha muscle as a sign 'o comfort.

"He always told us to…" He took a deep breath ta try an calm himself, avoidin eye contact an covered Don's hand with his own ta return the gesture. "Follow our hearts and now…" He looked guilty for a second there, but it was gone as an empty look replaced it. "Now I just don't know what to think anymore." That got both of us ta blink.

"What do you mean Mikey?" Course it was Don who spoke up, cuz I still couldn't seem ta get ma voice ta work for some reason.

Mikey jumped up an paced around tha kitchen with Don eyin him worriedly. He was thinking too hard again an it showed, ya could literally see tha thoughts racin a mile a minute.

"Sensei taught us everything we know dude! How are we supposed to know what part of it was true and what part of it was just a big lie!" He was wavin his arms around like an insane person as he tried ta get tha message across.

"I do." Our heads snapped to tha doorway ta find Leo walkin in with a tired expression. He motioned for Mikey ta sit down an he quickly jumped back inta his chair next ta Don while tha leader himself came to a standstill at tha head of tha table. He grabbed tha chair with his hands an focusses his attention on Mikey.

"Just because Splinter went back on his words doesn't mean there was no truth in his lessens." That made sense an I think Mike thought tha same if his expression was anythin ta go by, but Leo wasn't done talkin yet.

"Anyone is able to teach, Mikey. Though it's your choice whether you want to believe them or not." He looked at Don an me for a sec, thinkin bout his next words I think before lookin back at Mike.

"It doesn't matter how/_if_ you chose to believe it either. You can do research and find the true meaning behind the information, you can find your own truth by listening to your own opinion and experiences, you can take the words for what they are or you can deny them and see them as false." I think even Don blinked at that one an all three of us nodded as we tried ta process tha information. Leo may be a know it all but he really knows what ta say when one of us needed it, which we are all very thankful for!

It was silent round tha kitchen for a minute after that too! Well until don straightened up, a clear sign that he had an important question.

"So, what is going to happen now? Is-" Tha poor genius didn't even get tha chance ta finish his question as Leo already caught on an interrupted him.

"I kicked him out."

Aaah okay… WHOA! Wait, WAT?! Did he just say-

"W-What?" Three pair of shocked turtled stared at Leo an I jumped up from ma chair, almost throwin it to tha floor at tha speed.

I was completely chocked! He kicked Splinter out?! No no no no, this wasn't supposed ta happen! OMG what tha shell did I DO?!

Leo shook his head an tiredly rubbed a hand across his eyes, releasin a pained groan. He finally pulled tha chair back an sat down, head droppin in his hands.

"Well maybe not exactly that." I could hear him sigh while he rubbed his head in his hands. "I gave him a choice, sort of. I… threw my Katana at him before he could go after the two of you and told him to go if he couldn't accept us for who we are, but… he just… walked away…" I stared at ma brother with wide eyes. He threw his katana?! Tha hell?

"You threw you're katana?! And then he just walked away? He didn't even consider staying?" While Mike an me were tryin ta process tha information, Don was once again lookin for answers, but tha only answer he got was a slow nod as Leo just shook his head behind his hands.

"I had no choice he would have just kicked me aside if I had tried to block him, besides he didn't even gather any of his things… He just left. So I don't think it would have made any difference"

"Did… did he say anything?" Leo nodded weekly an it looked like tha three of us were preparin for somethin. Guess we kinda are, whatever he said was not gonna be anythin good.

"J-Just that we would all pay, for… you know… _The sin_." He removed one of his hands as he used it ta 'quote' tha last bit an then limply dropped it onto tha table. Damn he looked depressed! But then again he was tha one ta face Splinter alone…

Wait… Sin?! He said they were gonna pay for ma fucked up feelins?! Why do I always mess things up so god damned much?!

I slammed ma fists against tha table, almost brakin tha thing an I swear somethin got in ma eyes cuz they started ta sting for some reason. They're not tears! Dun even get it inta yer head! I dun cry, I_ever!/I_

"I knew it! Shoulda neva said anything! This is all ma fault! I shoulda just kept my fuckin-" Before I knew it a hand was covering ma mouth, cuttin off tha rest of ma sentence as another one pushed me back down in ma chair.

"STOP it Raph!" I was gonna pull away from Fairless's hold but I stopped as two pair of hands covered ma balled up fists in a soft hold an I screwed ma eyes shut. I didn't wanna look at ma younger brothers right now, I didn't need ta see their pity. Damn it! Can't they just let me run ta ma room or somethin? I dun need them ta Icomfort /I me!

An I swear there's a god damned leakin pipe above ma head or somethin cuz I am damn sure there ain't any tears slidin down ma face!

I shuddered as Leo's hand slid over ma neck towards ma other shoulder as his otha hand left ma mouth an pulled a chair over besides me so he could sit down. His now free hand rested on ma arm at tha edge of tha table an I felt like a little kid cryin over a nightmare, I kinda was… wasn't I? Stupid thing is! Whatever they were tryin ta pull was working! Fuck, I really wanna run to ma room right now! So embarrassin!

"It's alright Raph. This is not your fault okay. It's no one's fault, Splinters accusations aren't true and you can't let him win by thinking they are." Leo's soothing words were workin… that an tha feelin of his hands rubbin ma shoulder an arm was pretty distractin too. Not ta forget that Don an Mike were makin tha same point as tha two of em kept ma hands hostage, tryin ta help me calm down.

"He was going to find out sooner or later."

What?! What's that supposed ta mean?! Ma eyes snapped open as ma head turned towards him, shock an confusion washed over me, but he wasn't lookin at me. His attention had locked onto Mike an Don for some reason. Does that mean he wasn't addressin me when he just said that?

Tha two of em looked very nervous an shocked for some reason… Huh? That's… weird…

"W-what do you mean L-Leo?" Don stammered out as both his an Mike's hands left mine only so he could nervously fiddle with his fingers while Mike's hands disappeared under tha table.

Lookin back at Leo, I could see he looked totally serious, but still sorta carin… how tha shell does he do that?

"I meant it when I said I didn't care what you do behind closed doors and I will always love you guys, no matter _what_." The guy's gaze didn't waver, not even when Mikey fell backwards on his chair an onto tha floor with a 'thump'. An Don, he just slammed his head on tha table arms coverin his head.

Uuh… tha hell?

"When did you find out?" It came out as a groan, but Leo only crossed his arms over his chest, not at all faced at their weird reaction. Why are they actin so weird? An what was there ta 'find out'?

"Not long after it started." Don's head shot up from tha simple reply an Mikey hit himself against tha table on his way up, his wide, disbelievin eyes peekin out from tha table.

"T-That long?! But how? We were so careful!" Don jumped up, wavin his hands around in despairin disbelief, kinda like Mikey did earlier… just a bit weirder…

"You might be able to sneak past Splinter, but not much gets past me." That got em ta stand still. He looked kinda baffled, but then Face palmed an plopped back in his chair. Mike wasn't any better though, he looked like his pet just died.

Damn Leo's right. He always manages ta figure out what was goin on round here, mostly tha things that are botherin us or when we start ta do things very out of character or somethin, dun ask me how cuz I don't know. But uh, what does that have ta do with anythin?

"Of course it doesn't!" Don groaned form behind his hand. Why are they all being so freakin confusin?!

"Huh?" Yeah that kinda escaped me, not that any of em paid it any attention.

"We're so sorry Leo!" Mikey had jumped up an over tha table, hugging Leo as an apology. "We were just so scared of you guy's reaction so we just…" He kinda trailed of at ta end an avoided eye contact, but he looked really guilty. Tha hell?

It didn't look like he was gonna finish his sentence, but I guess that's what Donny's for.

"Thought it would be best to keep it a secret. However you are right Leonardo. Something like this was bound to be figured out at some point. One of us was eventually going to let something slip." Don an Mike exchanged a look before Mikey thought it best ta say somethin else.

"I know we should have just told you guys and get it over with, But uh, thank you for not telling anyone Leo." What tha hell are they talkin about?! Didn't tell us what?

Mike played with his fingers an looked off at tha side again an flinched as Leo grabbed his shoulders loosely.

"It's alright Mike. I understand how you two must have felt." He exchanged a look with him an Don who gave a small smile. Feel about what? Oh damn it all! Dun talk bout confusin stuff and ignore me!

"Well I don't! Could _someone _PLEASE tell me what tha shell is goin on ere!" Moment ruined with my outburst, tha tree of em Ifinally/I looked at me in surprise an frowned.

"I uh… kind of thought it was obvious by now," I glared at Don. What was supposed ta be obvious? How was any of this supposed ta make sense when they were all actin so freakin weird! "But considering the trauma you just experienced-" I cut him off with a snarl an scoffed at the smile he gave me, but before he could explain Mike had jumped in front o me ta happily clear all tha confusion. Finally!

"Don and me are a couple!" He blinked at my shocked expression and looked intensely guilty right after. Tha Fuck?!

THAT'S it? God! NOW it makes sense! If they woulda just started with that then I wouldn't have been so freakin confused!

Wait, hold on… There a couple?!

"Are ya kiddin me?!" Alright ma outburst wasn't exactly nice if tha frightened looks Mike an Don gave me was anythin ta go by, but can ya blame me? Splinter was gonna kick me out for tha exact same thing they've been hidin! Damn I shoulda just kissed em days ago an done tha same!...that is if he felt tha same way… even if he didn't it beats gettin I_kicked_ /Iout by Splinter for no real reason. Damn!

"Raph!" A harsh slap to tha back of ma head snapped me back into reality an I looked at the two youngest in surprise. How tha hell did I not notice that before?! Tha two of em had always been close an now that I think about it… They've gotten a lot closer in tha last couple a months. Always hidin away in Don's lab or goin on I '_patrol'_ /I together. They did almost everythin together!

So I'm not tha only one with feelins for his _brother_… not that I'll tell em that!

"So I'm not tha only one? I-I thought I was-" A harsh poke in ma side got me ta jump an look at ma left, where Leo was lookin at me with this harshly annoyed look.

"Don't you finish that." His eyes narrowed into a glare when I tried ta protest an I ended up just blinkin at em an closed ma mouth. Uh… did he just stop me from puttin myself down?... That's …kinda nice.

An then Mikey just had ta ruin ma moment by jumpin on me ta pull me inta a half chokin bear hug. Damn how annoyin!

"Yeah Raphie! No being mean to yourself! Sides, Donny said it's very normal to fall in love with a dude, dude!" The kid froze up as he repeated tha sentence in his head no doubt. It did sounds pretty weird, I mean really? I think he was about ta correct himself but Don cut em short.

"Mikey is right Raph. Falling in love with a male in very common in both animal and human society. That and we might have been raised as brothers, but we are not actually related." Right, that makes sense. Wo says we're related by blood?...uh… how come he sounded so sure bout that?

"Whoa, wait. Hold on a minute there Donny." Guess Leo musta gotten to tha same conclusion an seein how Don froze up just now, musta meant that it was supposed ta be a secret. "How do you know that?" Jup that was meant ta be a secret alright, tha genius couldn't even look at us as he nervously fiddled with his fingers again.

"I uh…did a DNA test… after I… Y-You know! D-Developed f-feelings…" He trailed off again, probably didn't wanna make this to awkward on himself, but… a DNA test? Didn't that mean there was no chance of us bein related if it's negative? Damn that's a relief!

I sneaked a glance towards Leo an is it just me or did he look relieved too? Prolly just glad ta know Mike an Don could be together without worryin about incest, not that any of em can get pregnant or anythin. That should be it, Right?... NO! I can't get ma hopes up! He's only bein a good brother!

"Raphie, I uh… We…" Mike's small voice luckily pulled me back to reality an I turned ma attention back to tha kid, only to see him lookin very nervous an embarrassed for some reason. I frowned as he just stood there tryin ta find tha right word for somethin, good thing Don jumped in or we'd be waitin for an hour! Or more…

"Thank you." Thank you? Why would they be thankin me?

"Huh? What for?" Is it confuse Raph day or somethin? Cuz they are not makin any sense! Again!

"For having guts." Yeah off course I've got guts we all do , I'm just a lot more reckless then they are. Still doesn't explain why they're thankin me, so I just blinked an raised an eyebrow hopin they'd get tha hint.

Don seemed to look at Mike for a little help, who had no problem explainin.

"We were too scared to tell the two of you about us and while we were trying to find the guts to do that, you were already asking Splinter for help! On your own! And we couldn't even do that together!" Tha kid's makin me dizzy tha way he's wavin his hands around. "He would have been royally pissed if we had... Considering his reaction just now."

He had a point there though I was only askin for advise an tha two of em already were a couple.

"Right. Confessing your already months long relationship would have gotten an even worse reaction then this." Leo had his eyes closed an shook his head as he admitted tha sad truth.

So they were thankin me for doin what they were ta scared ta confess? Guess that makes sense, doesn't mean it makes this whole situation any better. It does mean that Splinter would have been a hell of a lot harsher if he kicked me an wanted ta throw me out for the feelin's alone. I dun even wanna know what he'd do to tha two of them.

"So… This was gonna happen anyway? No matta who'd do it?" The only response I got were a couple a sad nods. Damn that's messed up! We were goin ta lose someone because a this bullshit no matter what.

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but in a way, I'm glad it wasn't any of ma brothers. I mean Splinter was an amazing sensei, but without ma brothers, especially Leo, I'd be totally lost! They had ma back in numerous occasions an Splinter never even really went with us ta go topside, he just locked himself in his room all day.

"Well this sucks! Our lives 're so fucked up!" I sighed an slammed ma head on tha table in desperation. Stupid turtle luck!

"That's not completely true." I Turned ma head to look at Leo as a sign that I was listenin an he quickly continued.

"I admit a lot of it is fucked up considering everything we've gone through, but we are still here! Together, the four of us and the two of you being together isn't a problem." Jeesh Leo, what's that stern look for?

"Right?" Oh! He's askin me if I'm okay with em bein a couple?! Well yeah of course I'm fine with em bein together. I'm kinda hopin for the same thing!... well not with tha two of them, but that was kinda obvious.

I nodded before crossin ma arms across ma plastron an leaned back in ma chair. He nodded in relief an gave me a small smile. Damn that's cute… uhh... anyway…

"Outside of that we've got a couple of amazing friends who would gladly get their asses kicked in a fight against anyone just to help us out. We've got an awesome lair, vehicles, gadgets and so on! Sides Raph, were mutants and we've got a lot more than most humans would kill for." Well that shut me up! Guess were not as fucked as I thought we were! Outside of all tha enemies we've made over tha years, losin our sensei might not have been tha worst of it. Granted he was in a big part of our lives, but he didn't do much more then teach us how ta fight…

"So true dude! How many times did Casey get his ass kicked trying to keep up with us?" We all couldn't help but laugh at that. I couldn't even count how many times he's got his ass handed ta him in trainin alone.

Leo had stood up from his seat next ta me an walked over to tha fridge, openin it an rummagin through it, grabbed whatever he was lookin for an turned back to us.

"We might have lost our sensei, but that doesn't mean we're fucked. We'll get through this, we always do! Together." An with that he slammed a can of beer down in front of me… Did he just give me beer?! He hates me drinkin!

I blinked an looked at him, confused. He didn't really explain himself, he just grabbed ma glass of water an dropped it in tha sink.

"Now drink up and get some sleep! God knows we need it." He patted ma shoulder an turned his attention to tha others so I could drink ma beer.

Oh! He knew I wasn't gonna drink tha water so he gave me a beer instead! Hoping I'd at least drink that so I'd get some fluids inta my system an who knows the alcohol might help me sleep tonight! Not that I think fate will be that kind…

"We'll figure everything out tomorrow." All three of us nodded at Leo's decision, we all needed some time ta think an hopefully get a little shuteye. Whatever we were gonna do about all this could wait till mornin.

Don an Mike both stood up an awkwardly asked Leo if it was okay if they shared a room an I swear they guys eye twitched before pushing tha both of em outta the kitchen.

"Are you kidding me Don? What have we just been talking about? Go share a room if you want to, I don't care." I couldn't help but laugh, this was just too funny! It's as if tha two of em couldn't believe that we're really okay with this an Leo looked at em awkwardly with a slight blush, he probably had no clue bout what ta do. But tha blush sure was cute!

He glared at me for a sec before he remembered somethin an ran back to tha kitchen door an called out ta Don.

"Don't forget to update April and Casey on the situation tomorrow, don't tell them more then they need to know." I had no idea what they said, but seein as Leo nodded it was something like 'I will!' or not.. I have no idea, couldn't hear em.

Turning back to ma beer I decided that I might as wel try an drink it, dun really feel like throwin up anymore an I gotta admit it felt good ta have something in ma system. Well until I felt Leo lookin at me, that just made me feel nervous.

He walked back over to tha table an sat down in tha seat Don had been usin, gaze not leavin mine. Shoot! I swear if he doesn't stop lookin at me imma snap!

"Ya dun have ta wait fer me ya know." Sneakin a glance at him I could see him lookin pretty worried, probably wans ta make sure I'm okay or somethin. stupid over-protective brother!

"I know. Just want to make sure you're alright." See! Always worrying bout us, though gotta admit, it can be kinda cute at times… Damn! There I go again! Focus Raph, this is not the time to think about that!

"I am Leo, I mean it." He just glares at me an crossed his arms, clearly not convinced. Well shoot!

I groaned an drooped ma head in ma hand, starin at ma beer. Guess I'd better be honest, or he'll be up all night worryin. Not that I think he's gonna get any sleep anyway, he's prolly gonna be thinkin bout what happened tonight once he get ta his room an keep himself up all with all tha worryin.

"Just a bit shaken up I guess." He nodded slowly, an gestured to ma beer as ta make sure I didn't forget ta drink it. Not that imma forget or anythin… might get a couple more, just ta make sure imma get some sleep… Nah I'm prolly gonna get one of those weird ass dreams an make this a lot harder on myself.

"Think you'll be able to sleep?" Really Leo? Thought it was kinda obvious I wasn't, but then again, that's Leo. Always makin sure.

"Doubt it." The guy signed, ponderin bout somethin before lookin at one of tha cupboards in tha kitchen, stood up an walked over to it ta swing it open. He moved a couple a things around before pullin back with sigh of relief an turned back towards me, gavin me an embarrassed smile.

"Want one of Dons sleeping pills?" An then I blinked… He held tha bottle up so I could see it an there it was, even had tha 'insomnia pills' written on it with Don's writin.

Sleepin pills?

I guess I could try that, one pill wouldn't hurt right?… At least I'll be able ta sleep for tha night an work this shit out with a clear head tomorrow. Can't be fallin asleep while ma brothers try ta come up with solutions for tha shit I've caused.

Yeah Yeah I know! Was gonna happen anyhow… Stupid rat.

Lookin back up at ma brother I noticed he had already sat back down an placed tha bottle on tha table for me in case I needed one. How come they were in tha kitchen instead of Don's lab? I thought he keeps all tha med supplies in there… does that mean Leo uses em? It does kinda explain tha embarrassed look he's givin me.

"You use those things?" He looked pretty embarrassed, like it's something he'd rather have kept ta himself.

"Well yeah, I have to or Don will kill me." I frowned as he grimaced at tha thought. Huh? Has he been sleepin so bad he needed pills? That doesn't sound good…

"How so?" His gaze left mine as he tried ta find a way to change tha subject, but I wouldn't let em, so I growled at em as soon as he opened his mouth so he closed it quickly. Hey! That doesn't usually work!

He scrashed tha back of his head an sighed in defeat. Heh, I'm getting better at this! Good thin too, cuz now I wanna know what's up with tha guy.

"It's a leaders curse I guess. There are just to many things plaguing my mind, it's not easy to get sleep while they keep coming back." He signed sadly an stood up ta grab a clean glass a water so I had something ta wash tha pill down. "That and I am a light sleeper. So it either wakes me up or keeps me up. Had to promise Donny I would take these when It's necessary." With that he set tha glass down an took his seat once more.

Didn't look like he was gonna explain any further, he did look kinda tired though. Guess I would be too if I'd have a rough time ta get ta sleep every night an at least he's takin pills ta help em sleep.

Then a thought hit me… Did he mean his thought wake em up or did he mean he's got nightmares that wake em up? Cuz if it's tha second one then tha means it's not just thoughts plaguin him, but fears an insecurities too. If only he'd talk about em stead 'o holdin it all in... Cuz that's kinda my job an it doesn't really do me any good either, just makes me angry sometimes. 'S why I take it out on ma trainin an tha bad guys… an Mikey…an Don… an uh… Leo too… but only cuz he fights back an won't go down that easy… or at all… angry me is easier for em ta take down… that an ma crush is makin it harder ta focus…

"That's not healthy Leo." He gave me an small smile an no I did not blush! I just looked at em straight in the eye, darin em ta deny it.

"I know. That's why I asked Donny for the pills." Huh? I blinked for a sec an Leo looked at tha glass 'o water in embarrassment.

"Ya asked em for those? He didn't have ta force ya?" Leo just looked back at me an laughed at ma expression. Great, guess me lookin surprised is funny…

"Yes I asked him myself, not that he hasn't noticed, but I am this team's leader Raph. I can't let you guys down so I have to make sure I get enough sleep and don't get sick, so if these pills will help me stay healthy then so be it." Idiot! Just cuz he's our leader doesn't mean he can't get sick! Getting sick happens ta everyone. Hell even I've been sick a couple 'o times. But uh… Leo… askin for help? Well that's gotta go in tha book 'o records!

"It's only normal ta get sick Leo, we've all been sick. Sides we ain't babies, we'll be able ta take care of ourselves for a couple a days, we dun need ya ta bottle feed us!" I half-heartedly glared at em as he laughed at ma joke. Damn I really like his laugh! Sounds nice ta hear em laugh an who knows maybe it might ease his mind little!

"I know you're not." Satisfied with his reation, I drank tha last bit of ma beer an threw it into tha trashcan. There was a comfortable silence which is a good thing, if only I could help em sleep better at night… Well I got a couple a good ideas but I dun think he's gonna like those... Hey! I got tha right ta dream about it! Not gonna throw myself at em, unless he agrees…

"You should vent more Leo. Ya know get rid of all tha pent up energy, s' what I do." He blinked, thinkin bout it an before he could start tellin me that's what he's been doin, I'd decided ta make sure he knew what kind of ventin II/I meant. "An I dun mean meditatin or practicin kata's, ya gotta really tire yerself out Leo. Go fer a run round tha sewers or spar with one of us, trust me it helps! Sides all three of us would love ta chance ta beat yer ass." I smirked as he nodded slowly, realisin that I've got a point there. Might not sound like much but I fall asleep like a rock after a good workout.

"Can't worry bout shit if yer tired." I smirked as he smiled gratefully. Guess my little tip might be useful for em after all! 'S not really Leo's thing ta take advise specially when it comes from me, but he still does, but only if it sounds useful or necessary.

"Heh I guess you're right, meditation is not really helpful when it comes to 'venting'." We both laughed for a minute before Leo stood up an patted ma shoulder to thank me. An no I am NOT blushing!...

"Well I am off to bed, night Raph!" An with that he made his way to tha kitchen door.

Snappin myself back inta reality I quickly muttered a "Night Leo." before he'd reached tha door an wouldn't be able ta hear it. He turned his head back around ta look at me an gave me a smile, before walking through tha kitchen door.

With a happy smile I turned back to ta bottle Leo had placed on tha table. I actually feel like I could fall asleep on ma own an that's kinda odd, guess the whole 'not your fault' thingy an tha little talk with Leo might've lited ma spirits a bit. But I dun wanna risk it an have tha guys worry bout me in tha morning, so I guess I Might as well take one just in case, Dun want Leo ta be disappointed either, specially after him telling me bout his trouble sleepin.


	3. Chapter 3

Ya know tha drill it's a Leo/Raph story so dun like dun read and NO flamers! It's my first story about them two! oh and don't forget there is don/mike!

The chars aint mine but we all knew that T.T so unless someone gives me a genie you'll have to settle for this.

_**Necessary mistake ch3.**_

(Mikey POV)

Do you have _any _idea how hard it is to drag a sleepy turtle out of bed? Even if he wasn't really sleeping? Well I do!

Don and me were sharing his bed cuz my room's a little messy… Ok fine! Very messy….yeesh!

Anyway! We were snuggled together like, the whole night but I don't think we've been really sleeping for… uh 3/4 hours? And just before you jump to conclusions! We were NOT doing anything nasty, not like we would after the fiasco last night…

Anyhow! I had to get out of bed to make breakfast for the guys at some point and waiting to fall asleep was not that much fun! Sooo~! It was only fair to have my genius get up with me, but he was NOT making it easy on me! I had to seriously pull the whole blanket of him and he still wasn't willing to get out! He just hugged his pillow and I had to rip the thing out of his hands, I swear I even heard him growl!

After that I only had to drag the dude off the bed and drop him on one of the kitchen chairs, give him some coffee and he's wide awake! Well kinda, he was trying to focus on his paper, but his eyes are drooping! It looks so funny!

Well, now that Don's covered, I can focus on breakfast! Hmmmm… What will I make? Pancakes? Eggs? Toast? Or! I could heat up the PIZZA!

I jumped over to the fridge and happily opened the door only to find my precious pizza already long gone! Nooooo! I wanna cry~

I turned around and pouted, making my way towards the pantry to get the Pancake mix only to hear Don snicker at my luck. Great… What a mate he is!

It didn't take too long to make breakfast after that and I happily placed the pile on the table only to have Leo walk in as soon as it hits the surface! Talk about timing, dude! Now we only have to wait for Raph. Hmmm… maybe I should go get him….

Leo took his seat at the table and I piled the pancakes on our plates so we could start eating, I swear my stomach is already growling…

"Where is Raph?" Looks like the coffee is working! Donnie's gears are turning again and it looks like he wants to get this conversation over 2 cuz he's looking pretty nervous.

"He's probably still sleeping." Donnie and me looked at Leo in surprise while he rubbed his eyes tiredly; guess he didn't get much sleep either.

Whoa! Hold on! How did Raph manage to fall asleep?! That is sooo~ not fair, I haven't gotten any real sleep at all last night and I even had a Donnie-heater! And again, we did NOT do anything nasty!

"He's sleeping?" Haha, Donnie looks so cute when he is Surprised! He does this adorable blinking thingy with wide eyes before he frowns in confusion. "How in the world would he be able to sleep? Even Mikey and I had trouble falling asleep." Leo nodded in understanding, he probably had the same problem last night and pointed toward one of the cabinets for some weird reason.

"Gave him one of those sleeping pills." Donny blinked as he tried to remember what those were. Guess he isn't as awake as I thought! Oh never mind, he's doing that facepalm-thingy again…. Wait! Why are there pills in MY kitchen?! Those are not food material!

"Oh, of course! That explains a lot." The two of them nodded, somewhat relieved Raph had gotten some sleep. He did go through a lot yesterday which was a good and a bad thing, but at least the fear of telling splinter is over with, for all of us.

"When will he wake up?" Not the hardest question I've ever asked, but it looks like the two of them didn't really know and had to think it over.

"That will depend on the amount of sleep his body needs, but it will probably be around 8 hours if not more." Donnie explained and looked around at the clock to see what time it was so he could kinda try and predict when Raph would arise. What time did we go to bed again? Uh… never mind. I think it's been around 7 hours…

"Well, that's pretty soon right?" Donnie looked over at Leo cuz he was the last one with Raph last night. He thought for a minute looking at the clock too before nodding. "I think so." Well then we won't have to wait too long for Raph to get down here.

Aaaaand~ then we just sat there in silence, eating, for what? Half an hour?!

Well we are going to talk about our future right? You know try to figure out where to go from here? Can't really do that without Raph, sooo we should wait till he gets here…

… …

Oh screw it! I am so not waiting for Raph, sides Don seems awake enough. We'll just fill him in later! Right?! Gaaaah! I might as well ask… If they really wanna wait for the hothead then we can wait…

"Sooo… What are we going to do about Splinter not being here?" It was innocent enough; though Donnie sat up straight blinking, looked pretty uncomfortable and nervous aaaaaand is it just me or does Leo look sad? As if he knows something he doesn't want us to know, but has to tell us anyway?

"Uh, shouldn't we be waiting for Raphael before we discuss this?" He awkwardly pointed his finger toward said turtle's room, gaze flickering between me and Leo. Ah damn, I really don't have the patience to wait any longeeeeer!

Our fearless leader pushed his half eaten plate away, crossed his arms and slipped his mask on. Why does he need a mask anyway? Well outside of fighting of course, cuz… Ok Mikey, Focus! He looks totally serious!

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath then focusses his attention on Don, but his statement had us both blinking in confusion.

"There is no need Don." No need? We can't just talk about splinter leaving without Raph… even if that means waiting for another hour... yeah I know! I wanted to talk about this without him here, but I was totally going to fill him in later!

Donny looked at Leo, frowning. "…How so?"

Leo didn't really reply just stood up, gabbed his plate and walked over to the counter. He placed his plate in the sink, but didn't turn back around as he answered the question. guess his mask isn't working…

"Because there is nothing to discuss about Splinters absence." I have no idea what Leo is thinking, but I was pretty sure both Don and me just sat there looking at him stupidly.

What does he mean there was nothing to discuss? He was our sensei and our father!

"What are you talking about Leo?" Voicing my thoughts out loud Don stood up and walked over to the counter to stand besides him. He's probably trying to read him or something, not that it's going to work or anything.

Leo signed deeply, turning his head away from Don's piercing gaze and his hands tightened around the edge of the counter. What's going on? Why is he acting so weird?

"Splinter may have been training us to become ninja's, but that's about it." That's it? That's not true is it? He's just acting out because of last night…right?

"That cannot be right Leonardo. He is our father! He raised us from infants and he…" Donny cut himself off, staring at Leo with wide eyes a look of realisation, sadness and deception? Huh? That can't be good! He looks like he just got something figured out that he didn't want to know…

"Kept us in line, but besides that here is not much else." My mate slowly nodded his head, mind running a mile a minute as he silently agreed with Leo.

I don't understand any of this! Master Splinter couldn't have only been keeping us in line, he has done a lot more then that!... But, then… why does it sound so unreal?

"What do you mean?" My oldest brother turned around to look at me for a minute. He opened his mouth a few times, trying to answer me, but ended up closing it as he scratched the back of his neck, thinking. My mate patted his shoulder and gave him a small smile before turning to me.

"What Leo is trying to explain is that even though Splinter has raised us from infants, he has been teaching us to take care of ourselves and each other from an very early age, so _he _would not have to." That doesn't make any sense! Why would he raise us if he didn't want to take care of us?

"How?" He pushed himself off the counter, straightened his back and lifted his finger. Why does he always do that? I mean I love the guy and all but does he really have to do that every time he's going to explain something?

"Uh… Well, he has been teaching us… Well mostly you, how to cook. He taught me how to fix the items which we have broken as well as gathering useful information." I could not help but glare at him. Useful information? I mean yeah its cute sometimes when he rambles on about god knows what, but that doesn't mean its useful information! I don't need to know how something works as long as it does what I need it to!

"He taught Leo how to lead us a team and how to help us as a brother." Yeah that's true thought the guy could seriously ease up every now and then!

"And Raph…uh…" And then he fell silent… He looked so confident a second ago, but now he looks like he doesn't have the information he needs or something. He's frowning and scratching his chin in concentration, but soon let his arm drop looking kinda confused. "… I got nothing…"

That can't be true, right?! Splinter must have totally learnt him something!... like the….Or that! No… My eyes widened as I realised the same thing Don had, if the tree of us had a task within this team… then what was Raph's?! I can't remember Splinter teaching him any of the stuff he taught us.

"That's because he never bothered to teach him, said he's to suborn." Huh? We know Raph is stubborn, but that doesn't mean he's not willing to learn how to help us out… right? Hold on! Did that sound like Splinter has talked to Leo about this?

He looks like he has, his eyes are downcast and he looks really guilty for some reason. Guess he has known about this for a while then… OH! Now that sad-ish look earlier makes a lot of sense! He didn't want us to know because it would make us feel bad.

Leo seemed to snap himself out his thought as he shook his head violently and pointed his finger at me, looking totally serious.

"But! That doesn't mean anything Mikey. It was only a matter of time before you learned how to cook or Don to take interest in technology and science or for me to lead. Raph did not need splinter to teach him how to find his role in this family; he found it on his own." And with that he sat himself back down in his chair, arms crossed, looking pretty proud for some reason. Me and Don just blinked at him for a second, totally surprised.

"He did? Then what is it?!" Leo smiled kindly as he motioned for Donny to sit back down and waited until he had taken his seat next to me before explaining.

"Well he might not show it much, but he cares about us even if he displays it in the strangest way possible. Remember when you had that nightmare and Raph hit you?" I glared at Leo for bringing it up but nodded at him anyway. The nightmare woke me up and I went to Donny for a hug, but I ended up getting hit by Raph! How mean is that?!

"You were so mad at him and ended up chasing after him for an hour, but in the end it has taken your mind off of the nightmare completely." I was going to protest, but then I sorta realised he was right… it helped, but he didn't have to HIT me! Guess Leo didn't pay my almost protest any attention, cuz he pointed his thumb into Don's direction, smiling widely.

"It's different with Don though, I think he stole one of his laptop cables so be wouldn't be able to use it until he decided that he'd gotten enough sleep." OOOOH! I so remember that! Donny had been so mad the whole time he even tried to steal it back until he fell asleep on the couch, not waking up until hours later.

"Ooh! I remember that one! You've been warning Don to get some sleep for some time and then Raph stole that cable! That was totally hilarious, dude!" I laughed at the memory, well until Don hit me in the side with this embarrassed look. I gave him a hug and a kiss to his cheek so he'd forgive me, but then he looked up at Leo looking totally mischievous! He's even smirking! OOOOH this is going to be good!

"Do not forget about yourself Leonardo! Remember him using one of the kitchen chairs to lock you up in your bedroom? Just because you were not feeling well and decided to train anyway?" Don and me burst out laughing at Leo's embarrassment! He looks so red it almost matched Raph's bandana! And the glare he is throwing us is making it even better!

"Anyhow! What I was trying to explain is that Raph might not show he cares but he does… just a little more forceful then we'd like sometimes. You can see it as him protecting us from ourselves and keeping us on our toes. Besides his obsession with the Shellcycle was his own doing. " Well that's a good point. Splinter was never going to teach him about bikes because he always thought it was too dangerous for us to drive one and with Raph's badass attitude he wasn't going to kindly tell us to take better care of ourselves, that's Leo's job! So instead of waiting for us to Take care of ourselves Raph decided to take matters into his own hands! Could have been a _little_ nicer though!

Hey! I just noticed that most of many of the times Raph does that is because Leo told us to do something without us really doing it. Like Don's sleeping problem! And Leo's health issues or my gamin addiction! Well that's what Leo calls it, I don't see the problem with gaming for a couple of hours every day!

"Right! So Raphie isn't such a bad guy after al!" Well it's good to know Raph has found out what he's best at and all but…"but uh… what does that have to with Sensei?" The two of them blinked as they realised we've kinda gotten off topic here. Donny coughed as he brought himself back to the part they were supposed to be explaining. Not that the stuff we just talked about wasn't important!

"Oh! Right! Splinter has basically been teaching us how to handle ourselves. Like uh… Oh! When was the last time you have seen him clean the lair with us? Or help us with our injuries or nightmares? He has not even gone topside with us, not unless something really bad happens." I frowned at him and thinking back on it, realised he was right. Splinter hasn't been helping us for a while now, ever since we started to do chores ourselves. Of course he still helps us when we ask for it, but he normally lets us do it ourselves after he gives everyone their tasks for the day… or was it week? No wait, the last time someone gave us chores it had been Leo…

"Instead of helping us he insisted we ask each other for help and eventually we stopped asking him for help altogether." That's true too! I asked him if he could help with dinner, but he told me to ask if one of the others had time to assist me. So…

"Dudes I think you're right!" I looked at my mate with wide eyes. Did our sensei push us away? Didn't he love us? "Are we really that bad?" Donnie's eyes widened before he pulled me into a comforting embrace as he tried to reassure me.

"No Mikey, I am sure that is not it. He is just-" Leo cut him off before he even started, he looked determent.

"It doesn't matter Donny." He stood up from his chair to walk to our side of the table and put a hand on Don's shoulder, trying his best to help lift our spirits. "Whatever his reason was shouldn't matter, as long as the four of us are still here I won't care what his reasons are and it doesn't matter either. This is going to be a new chapter of lives guys! We have to look at the bright side of things!" He smiled at the two of us, but we weren't really sure if there was a bright side to this.

"And those are?" Leo chuckled, leaning his hip against the table. OMG did Leo just giggle?! Damn… now he got me curious!

"Well the two of you can ben together without anyone telling you off and now that Raph is… uh… _out?_/He won't have to worry about that either, at least not around us. Sides don't kinds usually dream about having the house to themselves?" The three of us laughed as we got what Leo was trying to explain. Splinter has always had a lot of rules, most of them not even needed.

"Haha ! Yeah dude! No more lectures about getting home late or sneaking out!" It's true! I mean really? We go out to fight Purple dragons, Foot ninjas and Kraang bots, but if we get home later then he wanted we'd always get in trouble! Sides this city is not going to save itself so yeah we sneak out because there are people who need help!

"Well it probably has a few upsides, but it is going to be very strange not to have him around anymore." Trust Donny to be the party pooper! But he was right, we might have been doing a lot of things on our own, but he was still a part of our lives.

"Well there is no denying that, dude." Getting a nod from the both of them, we sat there in a comfortable silence as Don and me ate what was left of our breakfast while Leo stood up to grab a clean plate. He threw some pancakes on it, stood up and walked over to the kitchen entrance.

"Where are you going, Leo?" He stopped in his tracks and turned back to us, blinked and frowned at us like it was supposed to be obvious.

"Uh…I'm bringing Raph breakfast. Don't worry I'll be filling him in on our talk just now." OOOOH! Of course! Raph still hasn't come back down! So now he is going to bring Raph breakfast and tell him about our situation and then leave him to think things over! Leo is such a good brother! Annoying at times, but still a good brother!

With a nod Leo turned around and walked out of the kitchen only to come right back in, what? 3 seconds? Must be a record! And you should see the look on his face! He looks totally embarrassed! Totally hilarious.

"Did you call April and Casey jet?" Donny looked a little surprised by the question only to realise he forgot to tell Leo about it.

Naaaw~ he is so cute looking all embarrassed! He looked off at the side and coughed as he fought the embarrassment down.

"Of course I have. They will be coming over later today to see how were are doing." Oh! Yeah that's right they were coming over! April sounded so worried and Casey just wanted to make sure his best pal was going to be fine…Are they going to eat with us? What should I make?

"When did you call them." Ugh that was a nice conversation! She put us on speaker so Casey could hear it too, no point in April telling Casey after we told her.

"Just before Mike and I went to bed." Yeah that was not the best plan to be honest. God April was asking soooo~ many questions! And the guys call Ime/I talkative!

"How much did you tell them?" Is it me or does Leo look a little worried? Ok fine, not everything that happened yesterday was stuff they needed to know.

"Not much, though I did come clean about Michelangelo and I. I told them Splinter left and that the reason as to why was not for us to explain." Uhg do not remind me of that part! The two of them were yelling at us from the other end of the phone when we told them… Didn't know Casey was so loud!

"How did they take it?" Other than the yelling and the million questions?

"A little shocked, but better than I thought they would. Though they're pretty curious as to know why, but they won't be asking about it, unless we explain it ourselves." Took Donny a while to get April to stop asking about it, thank god Casey knew how to calm her down and they agreed not to ask about it anymore… unless we do.

"Well that's good I guess, don't think Raph would have liked them to find out like this." Are you kidding?! He would have ripped our heads off!

Don and me nodded at him in agreement as he slowly made his way out of the kitchen again.

"That's exactly what we thought dude!" Wait a minute?! I glared at Leo's shell, watching him leave. So it's alright for them to find out about Donny and me like this, but not Raph? That's so mean!

Donny stopped him before he could walk past the door and for a sec I swear he was going to ask him that!

"Oh! Leo what will we do about practise? I mean now that Splinter won't be training us anymore." Uh… good question! I haven't even thought of that! We can't stop training! I mean it's too annoying to get up early to train and stuff and sparring matches against Leo or Raph are no real party either, but we need to uh… better our skills?... how else am I going to stay this awesome?!

"Don't worry about that Don, I have been taking care of practise a lot more the past few months. It won't be any different without him." Aaaaaaand then he was off.

I looked at Donny for an explanation, he just told me to trust Leo on this and that's what I did. If Leo told us everything was going to be alright then it would be.

I smiled mischievous as a thought hit me.

"Hey Boo! Wanna know who I think Raphie-boy is hitting on?"

(scene change Raph's room. Raph POV.)

I think I mighta woke up an hour ago or somethin, cuz I started ta have this weird ass dream bout Leo, but tha Leo part wasn't tha weird part. Yeah yeah I know! Ya like Leo?! Yes, Yes I do an I've been dreamin bout em for some time now, big shocker! Real Now let's move on!

I knew tha guy was there with me, cus I could feel em… not gonna tell ya what he'd been doin! It's ma dream not yers.

Anyhow! There was this weird noise, like a door openin and then somethin that sounded like it hittin a table. I could feel a presence movin, couldn't tell what it was, but it kept on comin closer.

It wasn't very fast though, well until it was a couple a feet away from me, cuz then tha presence kinda bolted forward.

I snapped awake when I heard it hit tha wall an shook ma hammock. Ma wide eyes were dartin round tha room lookin for tha intruder, only for me ta fall outta ma hammock an face first onta tha floor when I realised it was Leo of all turtles!

Tha shell is he doin in ere?! Oh damn it! Ma eyes widened as I realised he was lookin really surprised. Please dun tell me he knew what I was dreamin bout! He'd kill me!

… no wait, I dun think that's it… Why is he turnin red? He looks really embarrassed for some reason…

An whats with tha odd stance? He's got his hand against ma wall an his other hand is grippin tha string of ma hammock, but uh… is it just me or is he liftin his foot off tha ground?

"What are ya doin ere Leo?! Ya scared tha crap outta me!" I stood up an I couldn't help but yell at em, I mean he did deserve it for wakin ma up by shakin my hammock! Sides, I was havin a nice dream! An no, I aint tellin ya what I'd been bout!

His embarrassed look was off an turned inta an angry irritated one in 3 secs flat! Oh… That's not good…

"Yeah well I was only going to wake you up and see how you were doing, not give you a heart attack. It's not my fault your room is such a mess!" He pointed his finger towards tha mess on ma floor, an yeah… it was bad…

"Oh…" I could feel Leo glarin at me an I dun blame em, ma room looked like a battlefield! Damn dude! I should really get tha place cleaned up, might make it easier for everyone to walk through ere an just for yer info! Tha only time anyone is allowed in ere is when they're barin gifts like food an beer, though I dun mind Leo comin in ere he's welcome anytime as long as he aint wakin me up like this.

"Exactly." Tearin ma eyes from the mess I turned ma head towards fearless, tryin tha look though but I think he can see tha embarrassment…

"W-Well that dun explain why yer here in tha first place!"

"I was bringing you breakfast." Leo signed as he pushed emself from tha wall an straightened up before pointin towards ma drawer, hintin to tha plate a pancakes restin on it. "And I was going to fill you in on what Don, Mike and I have been discussing."

"Y-You brought me breakfast?!" I didn't hear tha last part at first as I looked at tha plate a pancakes in surprise. Did Leo just get _me_ breakfast?! That's… really… nice… Can't really remember tha last time he did that. Oh wait, hold on a sec! Discussing?! Tha three of em already talked about it?!

"Y-You guys… already d-discussed it?" He gave me a soft smile as he patted ma shoulder, think he's tryin ta reassure me or something.

"We did. There was not much to discuss, it had been more of an explanation of a couple of things." And with that Leo explained what they had been talkin bout, but im pretty sure he's keepin somethin from me. they better not have been makin fun o me! I'll skin Don an Mike's ass! And Leo? Oh I ain't planning on skinning his ass… Oh for Christ sake raph! keep yer head otta tha gutter! The guy is standin right there!

Anyhow… it didn't look like much was gonna change round ere, guess sensei musta been puttin more space between us than I thought he had…

"Uh… well that's… good, I guess?" Not very convincing, but yeah that's all I can really say bout it. I kinda already knew Sensei's been leavin me be, just didn't know he'd done tha same to tha others.

"Sort of. We have no choice, but to keep moving forward." He gave me nother smile an I couldn't help but smile back, I swear they're contagious!... well to me anyway…

"So what now?" He frowned at me at tha question, guess he hadn't thought 'bout that one! he's prolly been to focussed on explainin that he forgot tha think o what we were gonna be doin today, cuz I aint gonna be trainin or runnin round tha city. I mean I'd love ta bust some heads, but that ain't what I need right now.

I couldn't help it as ma eyes wandered across Leo's face as he thought bout ma question, he looks cute when he's thinkin.

"Now? We are going to take a day off of training and patrol and just… uh, I don't know? Play a game? Watch a movie? Just something fun, sides April and Casey are coming over later." I wouldn't mind spendin tha day with ma brothers, specially now cuz Don an Mike are prolly gonna be showin they're together now so that'd mean I'll have more time ta spend with Leo. Uh… April and Casey?

Ma eyes widened at tha thought of tha two of em comin here knowin bout ma confession ta splinter. Oh god I'm not ready for them two ta know bout this shit! I didn't even want ma brothers ta find out!

"What?! Aaaah ya've gotta be kiddin me! What did ya tell em?!"

"I_Donny/I_ didn't tell them mote then they needed to know, Raphael and they won't be asking about it either so don't worry." Oh so Don called em! Good thing he's smart nough ta know what he is an aint supposed tha tell people.

"W-Who said I was worried!" Did fearless just giggle?! Oh god, that sounded so adorable!

Leo shook his head at my reaction, mistakin it fer surprise an pointed towards tha plate o pancakes again.

"Just eat your breakfast Raph and join us when you're done." He gave a small laugh as he hobbled his way round tha mess I call ma room. Uh… why was he hobblin again?

"Uh, no offence Leo but why are ya limpin?" he let out a frustrated sigh an turned round ta glare at me, lookin pretty irritated. Ok! That I dun like…

"Cuz your room is such an awfull mess and I tripped over god knows what, nearly breaking my ankle and almost hit my face against the wall if I hadn't grabbed onto your hammock!" OOOOH! That explains a lot!... oh shit!

I jumped forwards an grabbed his wrist before he could turn round an hobble back to tha others.

"Oh god Leo! I'm so sorry, are you alright?" I didn't really know what I was doin, but before I knew what happened I had already picked em up an carefully dropped em on my hammock so I could take a look at his injured foot. I signed in relief when I couldn't any broken bones, think he just sprained it an that's good cuz he'd kill me it it had been broken!

An that's round tha time ma brain decided tha catch up ta me.

I froze up at what I'd just done, how out of character! Slowly liftin ma gaze I noticed Leo was lookin at me in surprised shock, lookin kinda red… oh god please dun let em hit me! I just wanted ta make sure he's fine!

He shook his head an I was pretty sure I was gonna get nother bruise, but he motioned for me ta help em outta tha hammock. So I carefully set em back down onta the floor, totally embarrassed… is it me or is it hot in ere?

"I-I'm fine! T-Thanks." He scratched tha back of his neck, why is I_he_/I actin embarrassed? "I uh… I'll go back to the others now, so uh, e-eat up." He stepped back ta try an make another exit, but I stopped em again by grabbing his shoulder. Already made an idiot outta myself, might as well help em walk back to tha livinroom.

"No wait, hold on Leo! I'll help ya back to tha others." He frowned, but didn't really object and when I was sure he didn't plan on walking off I turned towards tha breakfast he'd brought me an ate it as fast as I could.


End file.
